Ultraviolet B Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Are More Efficient and Effective in Producing Vitamin D 3 in Human Skin Compared to Natural Sunlight.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Bench and ex vivo laboratory experiment evaluating chemical ampoules and human skin samples with no living human trial.
PubMed 28904394 · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11362-2
What was done
Ampoules containing 7-dehydrocholesterol were exposed to LEDs emitting peak wavelengths of 293, 295, 298, or 305 nm to compare their efficiency in producing previtamin D3. The 293 nm LED was selected based on exposure time and tested on human skin samples to compare its vitamin D3 generation efficiency against natural sunlight.
What was found
The 293 nm LED was 2.4 times more efficient at producing vitamin D3 in human skin than natural sunlight in less than 1/60th of the exposure time. No additional numerical data or variance metrics were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Targeted UVB LEDs could serve as an artificial source for cutaneous vitamin D3 synthesis in clinical populations unable to absorb oral vitamin D, such as individuals with fat malabsorption disorders or chronic kidney disease.
Limits
This study was conducted in vitro and on ex vivo skin samples rather than in living human subjects. The abstract does not report the sample size, donor characteristics, absolute vitamin D3 yields, or photocarcinogenic and erythema safety margins.
Cited by
- supports UVB is the specific solar wavelength of energy that triggers vitamin D synthesis in the skin.